I may have mentioned it once or twice......not because its over, as the damn thing is still here, but because it gets the neo-cons into such a tizzy. Anyway, I am just a "one", I am not a "some."
On Sep 20, 7:53 am, PoliticalAmazon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'd like to know which "some here" declared the end to capitalism? > > -------- > > On Sep 17, 9:06 pm, VT Sean Lewis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > This is seductive self justification for greed. > > > I hear this from 'christians' who say God wants them to be Rich, > > yet these same chritians live in gated communities and > > send their kids to private schools and want all foreigners > > to be rounded up. > > > Greed, hate, and zenophobia all rolled up in self deception. > > This is just another version of the same old same old. > > > On Sep 17, 11:53 pm, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I think it important to remember just what it means, to some... > > > >http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000056.html > > > > ...I believe that there are three elements just three that we mix > > > in just the right ratio to perform our national alchemy. Look around > > > you at the rest of the world. Those who use none of these ingredients > > > are disasters, basket cases, failed states where misery and poverty > > > crush the life out of what is almost an indomitable human drive to > > > create, to nurture, and to prosper. > > > > Almost indomitable. There are governments, theories, and people that > > > have managed it after many years of hard and dedicated work. > > > > We together have wasted enough time talking about these failed ideas, > > > these various and sundry kleptocracies, these stinking, wretched > > > failures. We know what they are and we know what they look like. Today > > > we are hunting success. > > > > One of the three, any one, buys you a respite. Not a huge one, > > > perhaps, but a glimmer of hope. Two, and life begins to become > > > livable. Grey, perhaps. Uninspired. But livable. > > > > Pull all three together and you have a society worth living in. Pull > > > all three together in just the right way, and you have a reactor, a > > > fire-breathing creativity engine that unlocks in each of us the very > > > best people we can become. > > > > Stop guessing. Sorry, but it s not God, Guts and Guns. The Arabs have > > > God, the Russians have Guts and the Colombians have Guns you want to > > > live there? > > > > We re going to take a moment to look at each one of the three, each > > > element in this national Trinity of success and prosperity. > > > > These three pillars have several things in common. Their first and > > > greatest strength is that they are self-correcting. They require > > > optimism remember that: that s critical. They are beyond flexible: > > > they are supple. No, even more they are fluid. And yet each has > > > strict rules that must be rigidly obeyed for the reactor to produce > > > full power. This combination of a rigid internal structure, coupled > > > with astonishing flexibility, is what gives them, like a human > > > acrobat, mind-boggling capabilities that leave us gaping in awe at the > > > results. > > > > Two are pretty easy to understand. One isn t. So let s be sensible and > > > do the hard work first. > > > > The first of these three pillars has several names: private property, > > > the free market, enlightened self-interest but the first essential > > > element of the American Trinity, and the hardest to come to grips > > > with, is Capitalism. > > > > Capitalism just galls some people. They just. Can t. Stand it. > > > > Now I have thought about this one long and hard, and no matter how I > > > look at it, I come to the same striking conclusion, and that is this: > > > > Where you stand on the political spectrum, what you think of rich and > > > poor people, and what you think about rich and poor nations and how > > > they should act in the world, comes down, in my mind, to one single > > > issue, and one only: Can wealth be created, or can it only be > > > redistributed? > > > > If you believe, as I do, that wealth can be manufactured out of thin > > > air, then there is no limit to the amount of wealth you can amass. And > > > since you are creating it out of thin air, there is no moral onus on > > > making money you work hard to create it and have stolen from no one. > > > There is an expression for this: you earned it. > > > > Indeed, since charity depends on excess wealth, excess capacity, the > > > more you make for yourself the better off everyone else is. You can > > > even throw charity out the window if you are so hard-hearted; the fact > > > remains that you will spend that money to get the things you want, and > > > the more you have the more you can spend. That money goes to other > > > people. This interchange is called the economy, and rich societies > > > are rich because they understand in their bones the centerpiece of > > > Capitalist thinking: Wealth can be created from thin air by human > > > ingenuity and hard work. > > > > Now people on the left have, in their guts, a revulsion towards the > > > rich and the wealthy, because whenever they see wealth they naturally > > > assume that it was stolen from people without any the poor. That > > > rich man in the private jet has taken the wealth from all the poor > > > people and is therefore a criminal. > > > > If you think about all of the protestors you see on TV, whether they > > > be against US imperialism , or globalization, or corporations, or > > > claim to be champions of the Poor, both here at home and for poor > > > nations in the world all of this anger and seething resentment, all > > > of this bitterness and invective, can be attributed, when all is said > > > and done, to having chosen to believe that there is only so much > > > wealth in the world, and that rich people and rich nations gain and > > > maintain wealth by stealing prosperity from the weak. > > > > This is so idiotic, so demonstrably false, that you really have to > > > wonder why we are having this discussion. All of the money owed to > > > rich nations by the poor money that was lent to them to lift them > > > from poverty, and then squandered on palaces for dictators and > > > Socialist prestige projects like International Airports in the middle > > > of nowhere -- all this money totaled together, is a small percentage > > > of the wealth generated by rich countries in a single year. The idea > > > that the United States can steal 10 trillion dollars a year from dirt- > > > poor nations that don t produce anything of value is absolutely > > > insane, and yet, and yet, we hear it again and again and again from > > > the professionally outraged who must be obtuse beyond human > > > understanding to keep making such an absurd lie the basis of their > > > entire philosophy. > > > > If we can prove that our core tenet is correct, that wealth is limited > > > only by imagination and the desire to work hard, then not only does > > > the left s economic theory come crashing down like a Statue of > > > Lenin their entire view of US power has to be fatally flawed, as well. > > > Because if we make enough wealth to be able to buy our oil at prices > > > set by the seller consult reality for confirmation of this annoying > > > fact then perhaps we are not in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to > > > steal oil from poor Arabs. There must be some other reason for it. > > > Something completely unintelligible and unknowable: national security, > > > perhaps, or simple disgust with torture and repression and terrorism. > > > Things like that. > > > > Get this through your heads, you socialist ninnies! There is not a > > > big, limited pot of wealth that is filled with the Magic Sweat of > > > Authentic Third World Laborers, that America uses its military to > > > steal from when we run out of wealth here at home. > > > > Here s something even the dimmest hippy protester / poet should be > > > able to wrap his mind around: > > > > You buy a legal pad: $1.29 > > > You steal a Bic pen from the counter at Kinko s: free. > > > You write the script for Weekend at Bernies 3: Bernie s Revenge!: > > > free. > > > You hire someone to type it: $30.00 > > > You have Kinko s print 5 copies: $62.20 > > > You mail the 5 copies: $7.82 > > > 5 idiots in Hollywood love the idea: free > > > They enter a bidding war: free > > > You get a check for: one million dollars! > > > > So let s see that $1,000,000, minus the $101.30 in expenses uh that > > > means You, the village idiot, have just raised the Gross Domestic > > > Product by, uh, one million freaking dollars, and have made a personal > > > profit of $999,898 dollars and 69 cents. > > > > Where did the $999,898.69 come from? It came from thin air! You > > > created it, out of nothing. You added value to the stock of paper and > > > ink you started with. From the monumental talent you possess, the gift > > > of intellect, the pen that made Shakespeare weep with envy, you have > > > created WB3. You ve given millions of people two hours of side- > > > splitting hilarity, for which they will part with $8.00 and you have > > > created wealth. What s more, when you go and blow it all on the > > > pointless material crap that makes life so much fun, you ll be > > > bringing in a little extra for the Sea-Doo distributor, the BMW > > > dealer, the girls at Cheetahs in Las Vegas, and all the others. Not to > > > mention putting I dunno maybe half a million freaking dollars into > > > welfare, Social Security, Medicare, the National Endowment for the > > > Arts and the world s first fusion-powered, laser-armed, flying stealth > > > submarine, the USS George W. Bush. > > > > You did not have to steal $999,898.69 from a farmer in Angola. > > > > And in just the same way as your finished screenplay is worth more > > > than the total cost of the paper and ink you needed to write it, so > > > too is my 2000 Ford Escort ZX2 worth more than the hunk of iron ore, > > > the silica for the glass, the chemicals for the plastic and tires, and > > > the cost of the factory, the electricity to run the factory, and the > > > salary of the people who build the car. That car, like that > > > screenplay, has greater value than the raw materials that comprise it. > > > Through human ingenuity, value is > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
